Many people are afraid of the dentist. Just the idea of visiting the dental clinic for getting the procedure done sends shivers down the spine. Dental phobia is a very common condition and is more common in young children. However, a good option is available now. This is sleep dentistry or sedation dentistry. As the name indicates, sleep dentistry involves administration of sedatives during the dental procedure. You can sleep through the entire procedure and not feel any pain or anxiety. Sleep dentistry is highly advantageous for people with chronic dental phobia. In fact, it is only feasible option available.

Not all dentists are qualified to administer sedatives and perform procedures. This is because it requires additional training to be able to administer sedatives. For this reason, sleep dentists are comparatively rare to find. In the US, only 6% of all dentists practice sedation dentistry. In the recent years, sedation dentistry has started catching up. For this reason, you can expect more dentists qualified to practice sedation dentistry in the future.

Sleep dentistry has become more refined in the recent years because of the availability of better sedative agents. Earlier, sedatives could only be administered via the intravenous route. The main problem with this is that people who have fear of dentists also have fear of needles. For this reason, intravenous administration may not be possible in such cases. However, oral sedatives have become available today. These are available in the form of a pill which has to be swallowed half an hour before the procedure.

The major advantage of sedation dentistry is that the patient will not experience any pain or anxiety during the procedure. Apart from sedatives, anesthetic agents are also used to numb the pain. Sedatives and anesthetic agents act directly on the nervous system of the body and suppress pain. Because of this reason, it is very effective in enabling patients to overcome the fear of the dentist.

If you have fear of the dentist, sleep dentistry is an excellent option for you. You can start by contacting your dentist and inquiring if it is possible. If your dentist cannot perform sedation dentistry, he will suggest a specialist.